Archive for the ‘News’ Category
New Muslim Cool
New Muslim Cool! That sounds interesting. It’s a new PBS Documentary that explores the least known dimension of Islam. New Muslim Cool is Islam as you have never seen it. It is also hip-hop as you have probably never heard it. This film gives audiences an insider’s view of a little-known cultural fusion between Muslims and street beats that has been developing since the very beginnings of hip-hop culture. The result is a surprising challenge to stereotypes of both Muslims and urban youth in America that encourages viewers to look critically at the “clash of civilizations” between Islam and the West.
Iran’s Michelle Obama?
Following the developments in Iran in wake of the Presidential elections I came across an interesting report. The subtitle of the report caught my attention: Iran’s Michelle Obama. It’s about Zahra Rahnavard, wife of presidential candidate Mir Hossein Mousav. Zahra’s credentials are not merely defined through her husband’s identity; she has served as the chancellor of the Alzahra University in Tehran and as a political adviser to former Iranian President Mohammed Khatami. Zahra has been actively campaigning for her husband and appears on several campaign posters with Hossein. Though this may not be spectacular for the westerners, it’s stunning by the Iranian standards. Never before has a female in Iran voiced political opinions so openly. Moreover, the fact that Zahra is highly educated (she has a Ph.D. in political Science) and conveniently handles questions on Iran’s political and social policies, counters the perceptions that she is merely a shadow figure for Hossein. Her mannerisms and dressing style reflects her reformist approach to Islamic traditions. Here is how the crowd, mostly younger voters, has responded to here campaign rallies.
No matter who wins the Presidential contest, Zahra Rahnavard’s contribution to Iranian politics would be everlasting.
The False Promise of Presidential Elections in Iran
The Islamic Republic of Iran is just days away from choosing the next President of the country. The Presidential elections are being closely watched across the Western world, particularly the U.S. According to some analysts, the choice made by the Iranian people during the 12 June elections would greatly influence the Iran’s international image and politics for the coming years. In the midst of international anxiety over Iran’s future political leadership, certain intriguing aspects of the country’s domestic politics have escaped popular attention. A closer scrutiny of Iran’s national politics reveals that these are neither elections as democratic nor as groundbreaking as the Western world expects.
Egyptian Public to Greet President Obama with Suspicion
A new WorldPublicOpinion.org poll finds Egyptians continue to view US foreign policy quite negatively and see President Obama as closely aligned with it. At the same time, Obama has much better ratings than Bush had, and there are signs of thawing feelings toward the US. Excerpts from the Opinion Poll are presented here.
Asked how much confidence they have in Obama to do the right thing in international affairs, 39 percent say they have some or a lot of confidence–up sharply from the 8 percent who viewed George W. Bush positively in January 2008. Views of the United States government have also improved with favorable views rising to 46 percent from 27 percent in an August 2008 WorldPublicOpinion.org poll.
There has been little change in the views of US foreign policy. Sixty-seven percent say that the US plays a negative role in the world.
Can Pakistan’s Public Diplomacy Get Any Better?
This is how Pakistan sought to convince the American public about its commitment in combating terrorism. The above poster was majestically placed on page 5 of the Wall Street Journal print edition on May 8, 2009. Two days after interacting with President Karzai and President Obama in the AFPAK strategy Summit, President Zardari addressed the concerns of the American public through this message. Here’s what the poster reads:
The U.S.A. and Pakistan can defeat terrorism together and bring prosperity to the Pakistani people. Pakistan is in the trenches; Pakistan is on the frontlines. Pakistan is protecting the entire civilized world. 1700 soldiers killed. 35000 civilians killed. Tens of thousands maimed. This is Pakistan’s war. This is Pakistani blood. But Pakistani should not stand alone. President Asif Ali Zardari has pledged to “wipe out the cancer of terrorism before it infects the entire planet.” The U.S.A. and the world must stand by Pakistan’s side in this decisive battle against the terrorists. The U.S. A. and Pakistan. Together in battle. Defeat is not an option.
The poster is sponsored/supported by AES Corporation, GE, Oil and Gas Development Corporation, Pakistan Electric power Company Limited, Pakistan Petroleum Limited, Pakistan State Oil, PTV Global, Water and Power Development Authority.
This grand public diplomacy exercise throws up some questions:
1. Why has President Asif Ali Zardari pledged to combat terrorism? I thought Pakistan was a Parliamentary democracy where the Prime Minister represents the will of the people. This excessive emphasis of personalities rather than institutions is the most important factor impeding the growth of stable democracy in Pakistan.
2. Why is a cash-strapped country like Pakistan running half page ads in top of line U.S. dailies like the WSJ? The U.S. public will be better convinced of Pakistan’s commitment if the country’s resources are directed at acting against terrorists rather than publicizing intentions.
3. Finally, if Pakistan is protecting the entire civilized world then why is only 38% of NWFP and surrounding areas under full control of the Pakistani Government? Pakistan needs to get rid of this ‘global guardian’ psychology and combat terror more as a national survival priority rather than an international obligation.
Pakistan needs to understand that public diplomacy is an explanation for national policy, not a substitute.
Knockout Punches This Week!
Ahmadinejad borrows Obama’s election slogan: President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad at one his election campaign sites draws the audience’s attention to the Farsi phrase Ma Mitavanim, a rough Persian translation of President Obama’s famous “Yes We Can” slogan.
Campaign for all, Vote for None: Bollywood Actor Salman Khan did not cast his vote for the Lok Sabha pools after campaigning for both the BJP and the Congress Parties.
4 polling Officers for 1 Voter: A makeshift polling station with four polling officers was set up in the Gir Lion Sanctuary, Gujarat, India for allowing the single registered voter to cast his ballot.
First Ladies: After Jaco Zuma, who led ANC to victory in the African polls, is set to become the country’s next President there are concerns over who would Africa’s next First Lady. Mr. Zuma has been married four times and currently has two wives and one fiancée.
Knockout Punches This Week!
The Himalayan Cricket Frenzy: While most cricket fans were buszy watching the IPL, a group of fifty crazy fans trekked up Mt. Everest for a Twenty20 spell
Eye in the Sky, loss of vision on ground: After India launched an Israeli built spy satellite to track terrorist activities, 250 Naxalites hijack a train in Jharkhand.
Juvenile Terror: Lawyers of Ajmal Kasab, who has been charges with waging war aganist India in the 26/11 Mumbai terror strikes claims that Kasab is a juvenile.
Chang, China and Democracy: According to Hong Kong martial arts Star Jackie Chang the Chinese need to be controlled and thus are not suited for democracy.
Operation Pause: A military operation where the Governemnt of Pakistan abstains from a military aganist the Taliban as militants arrive within sixty miles from Islamabad.
Do Indian IT Professionals agree with Vivek Wadhwa’s Thesis?
I recently had the opportunity to meet Vivek Wadhwa, who is a Fellow with the Labor and Worklife Program at Harvard Law School and Executive-in-residence at Pratt School of Engineering at Duke University. He had some interesting claims to make. Though he tends to back most of his contentions with substantial facts, Vivek’s thesis very deeply challenges general research and popular perceptions. His thesis centers on the widely discussed issue of falling U.S. competitiveness in the wake of the surge of technical workforce from India and China. I do not claim to refute or validate the views of Vivek Wadhwa here; I am merely summarizing his research and leave it for the readers to decide. The facts and figures presented here are based on Vivek Wadhwa’s Testimony to the U.S. House of Representative, Committee on Education and Workforce in 2006. Click to continue…
Consultancy for Organizing Civil Protests
The Wall Street Journal has an interesting article today titled “French Lessons: A Parisian Coaches Radicals in the art of Protest.”
For me the article was interesting for two specific reasons: first, consultancy is the in thing. The modern world provides endless opportunities for ‘consulting’ on every conceivable human action! Second, there are people in this age and time who aspire to follow Mahatma Gandhi’s ideal of non-violent protests. The only difference being that Gandhi did not have the vision to turn his teachings on Satyagraha into an easy to use crash course.
Xavier Renou, residing in France, is a Protest Consultant. For $67 you can attend a weekend course of Renou and learn the art of peaceful protests. And we use to think that the huge civil demonstration at the G-20 Summits or the NATO Meetings was simply the outcome of popular discontent. From the marketing of a protest drive to dealing with police action during such protests, Renou provides training for everything. Western consumer culture, Free Tibet Campaign, environmental protection, political style of French President Nicolas Sarkozy the list for Renou’s protest projects is endless. The WSJ reports that Renou recently counseled an anti-NATO protestor on phone while sitting in a Paris Café.
Renou has founded his own group Les Désobéissants or The Disobedient Ones. He has introduced the concept of guerilla protests where more focused protests replace the ineffective mass demonstrations. Renou has made used of, according to him, innovative gestures like barging into a nuclear submarine dressed as a clown or marching in a zombie’s attire in a supermarket. The global financial crisis has proved to be a blessing for Renou’s business as popular protests have gained momentum. Nevertheless, the financial benefits of the project are barely impressive and Renou hopes to get funding from such regular clients as Friends of the Earth.
Does Xavier Renou’s approach mark the beginning of a new phase of civil protests in modern democracies or is it merely one of the emerging marketable ideas which will be soon be commercialized? Is Renou’s protests for such a wide variety of issues a reflection of his genuine concerns for the cause or is he attempting to create a clientele for his business?
[Picture and Video Courtesy: Wall Street Journal, April 8, 2009]
FOXNews reasserts the threat from American Somali Youth
In a previous post published on March 12, 2009 I had discussed the mounting conerns over the recruitment of American youth of Somali origin in terrorist training programs. This morning The FOXNews.com reported on a rare press conference by two such individuals. These youth have expressed their desire to be killed “for the sake of God”. The apparent return of some of these American Somali youth after terrorist training to the U.S. makes them a potent threat for national security. According to the Deputy Director of the National Counter-Terrorism Center Andrew Liepman there is no credible reporting that these youth pose a direct threat to the U.S. To counter Liepman’s view there is enough empirical evidence to prove that planning of terrorist activities has and can evade intelligence scrunity. Apart from security concerns the entire episode raises some other vital questions:
Why have these youth choosen to speak openly about their involvement in terrorist activities? Did we not expect terrorist to be “hidden elements”? Does this represent a trend towards glorification of terrorism by an increasing majority? Is involvement in terrorist activities now considered ‘cool’?
Why did these youth abandon the quest for the much aspired ‘American Dream’ and adopt a challenging lifestyle in Somalia?
How will the U.S. assert its moral authority in criticizing Pakistan as a breeding ground of terrorism when American citizens can be lured into such extremist activities?
[Photo Courtesy: FOXNews.com, April 6, 2009]